McMenamin is an

Irish surname A formal Irish name consists of a given name and a surname. In the Irish language, most surnames are patronymic surnames (distinct from patronymic, patronyms, which are seen in Icelandic names for example). The form of a surname varies according ...

. In

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

it is rendered, Mac Meanman, meaning 'son of Meanma' a name meaning courageous or high spirited. It originated in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

in the 13th century. The first written mention of the name is in 1303 in the '

Annals of Loch Cé The ''Annals of Loch Cé'' (also ''Annals of Lough Cé'') cover events, mainly in Connacht and its neighbouring regions, from 1014 to 1590. It takes its name from Lough Cé in the kingdom of Moylurg - now north County Roscommon - which was th ...

' which records the deaths of Donnchadh Mac Meanman and Aedh Mac Meanman, grandsons of the Lector O'Domnhaill, the chieftain of Fanad, during a dynastic struggle within the Cenél Conaill. The McMenamins are a branch of the O'Donnells of Tyrconnell (Donegal) and are part of the Sil Lugdach, descendants of Lugaid mac Sétnai, the great-grandson of Conall Gulban. Like many discarded branches of noble families, the McMenamins sought advancement in the church evidenced by numerous mentions of McMenamin prelates in papal letters from the late 1300s to the late 1400s. They were supplanted in their home territory of Fanad by the Sweeneys and over the centuries became more distantly related to the royal line of the

Cenél Conaill Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history *Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) is ...

. One scholar describes the family as "...a discarded branch of the O'Donnell dynasty" (Darren Mc Eiteagain . 1995 "Donegal History and Society: Interdisciplinary Essays on the History of an Irish County". Geography Publications: UCD) The name appears again in the fiants of Elizabeth I in 1601, this is a list of royal pardons. A pardon was granted to Neyce bane M'Manaman (sic), it's unclear what offence had been committed. In 1609 according to MacLysaght the McMenamins are named as followers of O'Donnell in the pardon rolls of James I. During the Cromwellian campaigns in Ireland many McMenamins dispersed to Mayo, particularly around Tonragee, Ballycroy and Achill, this area had ancient links with the O'Donnells. This Mayo migration resulted in variant spellings of the name such as McManamon and McManaman. By the 19th Century the McMenamins like many of the Irish had spread throughout the world but still remained strong in their native northwest Ulster. Griffith's "Primary Valuation of Ireland" carried out 1847-1864 records 266 McMenamin households not counting the variant spellings, 90% of these households were in Donegal and west Tyrone. An Gorta Mór (The Irish Famine) affected Ulster to a lesser extent than the rest of Ireland, but we still find 100 McMenamins disembarking at the port of New York from 1845-52. Even by 1890 the McMenamins still clung to their ancestral homelands, 36 McMenamin births were registered in Ireland this year but only 2 outside Ulster according to Matheson. The name has given rise to many variants some of which are : McMeanmain, McMenamy, McMenemey, McMeneny, McManamon, McMenamon, McManaman, McMinn Notable people with the surname include: *

Brian McMenamin Brian McMenamin (born 1957) is an American businessman in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he and his older brother Mike McMenamin founded the McMenamins restaurant and brewpub chain in 1983. He serves as general manager and vice-presi ...

(born 1957), American businessman and philanthropist * Chris McMenamin (born 1989), Scottish footballer *

Ciarán McMenamin Ciarán McMenamin (born 1 October 1975) is a Northern Irish actor and author. Early life McMenamin was born in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, where he attended St Michael's College. He earned his B.A. from the Royal Scot ...

(born 1975), Irish actor * Colin McMenamin (born 1981), Scottish footballer *

Daniel McMenamin Daniel McMenamin (1 March 1882 – 13 February 1964) was an Irish politician. A barrister by profession, McMenamin first stood for election at the 1918 general election as an Irish Parliamentary Party candidate for the Donegal West constituenc ...

(1882–?), Irish politician and barrister *

Eugene McMenamin Eugene McMenamin (1947), is an Irish nationalist former politician from Northern Ireland, who was a Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for West Tyrone from 1998 to 2007. Career In June 1998 he ...

(born 1947), Irish politician * James McMenamin (1910–2000), Australian cricket umpire * Joseph J. McMenamin, United States Marine Corps general * Kevin McMenamin, Irish Gaelic football player *

Mark McMenamin Mark A. S. McMenamin (born c. 1957) is an American paleontologist and professor of geology at Mount Holyoke College. He has contributed to the study of the Cambrian explosion and the Ediacaran biota. He is the author of several books, most ...

, American paleontologist * Paul McMenamin (born 1956), Australian academic *

Ryan McMenamin Ryan 'Ricey' McMenamin is a Canadian-born Irish Gaelic football manager and former player who formerly managed the Fermanagh county team. He played for the Tyrone county team, winning three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, tw ...

, Canadian-born Irish Gaelic footballer * Conor McMenamin, Irish footballer

See also